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165
ENTOMON 42(2) : 165-172 (2017)
Article No. ent. 42211
* Author for correspondence
© 2017 Association for Advancement of Entomology
Illustrated redescription of two large coreid bugs from Assam
including Schroederia feana (Distant, 1902) as the first
record for India (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Coreidae,
Coreinae, Mictini)
Hemant V. Ghate1*, Siddharth Kulkarni2 and Vijay Anand Ismavel3
1PG Research Centre, Department of Zoology, Modern College of Arts, Science and Commerce,
Shivajinagar, Pune 411005, India
2Hemi Terrace Bldg., Balajinagar, Pune 411043, India (presently-Department of BiologicalSciences,
The George Washington University, Washington, D.C., 20052, USA;
3Makunda Nature Club, Makunda Christian Leprosy and General Hospital, Bazaricherra 788 727,
Assam, India. Email: hemantghate@gmail.com
ABSTRACT: Schroederia feana (Distant, 1902) is recorded for the first time from the present Indian
Territory and redescribed based on male specimen from Assam, India. In addition, Prionolomia
gigas Distant, 1879 is redescribed based on male and female specimens from the same locality.
© 2017 Association for Advancement of Entomology
KEYWORDS: Coreidae, Mictini , Taxonomy, Schroederia feana, Prionolomia giga
INTRODUCTION
During a brief survey onthe private premises of
Makunda Christian Hospital, Karimganj District,
Assam, two interesting and large Coreidae bugs
were collected. One was identified as Schroederia
feana(Distant, 1902) and the other as Prionolomia
gigas Distant, 1879, based on keys in Distant (1902).
Generic characters and nomenclatural changes
were confirmed using keys and descriptions in
O’Shea and Schaefer (1980). S. feana was
described as Derepteryx feana by Distant (1902)
from Tenasserim, Thagata, in the present day
Myanmar,and its transfer to the genus Schroederia
has been discussed, with history,by O’Shea and
Schaefer (1980). Dispons (1962) also studied D.
feana but he had placed it in another genus
Axinepteryx, according to him the distribution of
this species is : ‘Burma, Thailand, Sumatra and
Borneo’ and O’Shea and Schafer, who placed it in
Schroederia, gave distribution as ‘SE Asia,
Indonesia’.Recent list of coreids of India (Prabakar,
2013) does not include S. feana from any part of
India; its occurrence in Assam is therefore the first
record of this coreid from India.
Prionolomia gigas, one of the largest coreid, is
known to be present in Assam (Distant, 1879);
Breddin (1900) described the female of this species,
also from Assam. In spite of the fact that both bugs
are quite large, these are not well illustrated or
redescribed before. Revision of the tribe Mictini
by O’Shea and Schaefer (1980), which includes
both these species,gives only generic diagnosis, with
166
the list of included species, and a few small-sized
line drawings. Dispons (1962) however, described
generic characters and also gavea key to all the
species of Prionolomia as well as illustrated some
major characters.
None of these previous works include photographic
images of dorsal and ventral habitus of important
diagnostic characters. To help in identification of
these two bugs, especially for students and
biodiversity surveyors, we are providing
photographically illustrated redescription of both
these species.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Methods of morphometry and preparation of
illustrations are described earlier (Kulkarni and
Ghate, 2016). Synonyms are given by O’Shea and
Schaefer (1980) and hence not reiterated here.
Since there are three different spellings of
Schroederia in the above paper, we confirmed the
correct spelling in the original description (Schmidt,
1911) and the Coreoidea website was also checked
for all species’ names mentioned here (Coreoidea
SF Team. Coreoidea Species File Online.
Version 5.0 [Retrieval date May 26, 2016] <http://
Coreoidea.SpeciesFile.org>).
RESULTS
Schroederia Schmidt, 1911
Schroederia feana (Distant, 1902)
Material examined:1 , India, Assam, Karimganj
District, Bazaricherra, Makunda Christian Hospital
Campus, on foliage, 16.iv. 2016, Rejoice Gassah
andVijay Anand Ismavel.
Measurements (in mm): Total length 33.5 mm
measured from tip of abdomen to the tip of head
(measured ventrally).
Length of antennal segments: I 10; II 7, III 6; IV
6.5. Length of fore femur 10, fore tibia 8, fore tarsus
5.Length of mid femur 10,mid tibia 9, mid tarsus
4.5.Length of hind femur 14, hind tibia 15,hind tarsus
4.Body breadth at scutellum 9; maximum distance
between inner margin of pronotal expansion 17;
pronotal expansion length 11.
Redescription:
Colouration: Robust, moderately elongate bug, with
bizarre process on pronotum; colour dark, brown
to blackish. Head with antennae dark brown to
blackish, pale ochraceous vertical band behind
ocellus. Thorax with pronotum showing median dark
line and similar but shorter line on each side.
Prosternum dark brown, mesosternum ochraceous
with brown band on either sides of labium,
metasternum reddish brown. Abdomen dorsally
reddish ochraceous with scattered pale areas;
abdomen ventrally reddish brown on disc, laterally
slightly darker; spiracles large, with white ring. Inner
part of mid-coxaeochraceous (Figs. 1-3).
Morphology:
Head quadrate; antenniferous tubercles prominent,
projecting in front beyond clypeus;eyes large, semi-
globular;ocelli closer to eyes than to each other;
shallow transverse sulcus at level of each ocellus;
postocular tubercles small but distinct. Entire dorsal
surface of head with very fine, moderately long,
colourless setae. Antennae robust, hirsute, slightly
shorter than body; first segment longest, second
and third subequal, covered densely with long black
and short colourless setae. Head underneath less
setose; labium stout and long, reaching mid
coxae,first segment stout, second and third less thick,
second segment longest. Clypeus slightly
depressedbelow mandibular plates which are
oblique and oval, both seen only in frontal view of
head, below projecting antenniferous tubercles
(Figs. 4-6).
Thorax: Pronotum strongly declivous, with thin
median carina, rugulose punctate on disk, with
scattered granules and very fine golden setae;
shape bizarre. Posterior 1/3rd of lateral margin
produced laterally and anteriorly into wing-like
expansions; lateral border in front of this expansion
with strong, long and small spines,these spines
continued along entire border ofexpansion; outer
border of expansion with strong and long
Hemant V. Ghate et al.
167
Figures 1-3: Schroederiafeana. 1: Habitus, dorsal; 2: Habitus, ventral; 3: Habitus, lateral.
Figures 4-7: Schroederiafeana. 4: Details of pronotum, dorsal; 5:Details of Pronotum, ventral; 6: Details of
pronotal lateral margin, dorsal; 7: Details of pronotal wing-like expansion, dorsal.
Redescription of two large coreid bugs including Schroederia feana
168
Figure 8-9 Schroederiafeana.
8: Scutellum; 9:Male, abdomen ventral view with
pygophore in situ.
Figures 10-13: Prionolomiagigas. 10: Male, habitus, dorsal; 11: Male, habitus, ventral;
12: Female, habitus, dorsal; 13: Female, habitus, ventral.
Figures 14-17: Prionolomiagigas. 14:Details of head
and pronotum, dorsal; 15: Details of head and sterna,
ventral, note lateral ochraceous band; 16:Male
ventral view showingpygophore in situ;
17: Female terminalia in situ, ventral view.
Hemant V. Ghate et al.
169
spines,apical lateral region more or less truncate
on outside, with two inner strong spines (Fig. 7);
anterior margin of pronotum straight, anterior angles
of pronotum with broad tubercle just behind collar,
posterior margin over scutellum more or less
straight;posterior border in front of scutellumsetose
with very fine granules;lateral area with spiny
tubercles. Prosterum narrow, with median sulcus,
its posterior tip arrow-like, lateral parts of
prosternum smooth, with scattered fine punctures;
underside of anterior expansion of pronotum
concave, possessing scattered granules and fine
folds; mesosternum more or less smooth, finely
setose, mesosternal process tongue-like, squarish,
projecting posteriorly between mid coxae to meet
anterior truncate projection of metasternum;
metasternum with fine granules and setae, its lateral
extension continued as anterior border to scent
gland. Scent gland prominent with a large anterior
disc and a very small posterior disc on either side
of ostiole.
Scutellumalmost as long as broad, triangular, dark
brown, transversely wrinkled in posterior half;
apically ochraceous (Fig. 8).
Hemelytra long, clavus densely punctured and
covered with golden setae; corium identical to
clavus with veins dark and raised distinctly;
membrane dark brown with sparse golden setae
and with many, longitudinal parallel veins.
Leg moderately robust; hind legs conspicuously
incrassate;forefemur slightly laterally compressed,
tarsi of lighter colour due to dense covering of golden
setae on underside of firsttarsal segment. Claws
black, colourless pulvilli prominent; second and third
tarsal segment with dorso-median, smooth
longitudinal line, rest area setose; middle femur
laterally compressed, ventro-medially uniformly
dentate along entire length, with one large and one
small spine at apex,apically apparently dilated;tibia
laterally compressed;tarsal segments dorsally dark
brown with black setae, ventrally with dense golden
pubescence;hind femur much incrassate, strongly
dentate on dorsal and ventral surfaces and granular
elsewhere;hind tibiae slightly shorter than femora,
possessing dorsal and ventral expansions;ventral
expansion with post medial strong triangular
process,proximal part of inner margin just behind
ventral spine granular, remaining border beyond
triangular spine with distinct spines;distal tip
withspine at right angle to dorsal and ventral margin.
All legs with dense setae of three types: black,
long setae, colourless pale brown setae and fine,
small colourless setae.
Abdomen beneath more or less smooth with shorter,
fine golden setae; trichobothrial groups very distinct;
abdominal spiracles distinct, large,situated closer to
anterior border than lateral border of segment;lateral
abdominal border dentate, posterolateral corners
with a strong tooth, especially on fourth tosixth
segment. In male, pygophore not visible from dorsal
side, ventrally partly visible, its ventral surface
setose, with shallow median groove in posterior
half. Lateral border of seventh segment distinctly
dentate upto tip (Fig. 9).
Prionolomia Stal, 1873
Prionolomia gigas Distant, 1879
Material examined: 1 , 1 , India, Assam,
Karimganj District, Bazaricherra, Makunda
Christian Hospital Campus, on foliage, 18.iv. 2016,
Rejoice Gassah and Vijay Anand Ismavel.
Redescription:
Measurements (in mm):Total length (measured from
head to tip of abdomen): Male 40, female 38. Male:
Length of antennal segments: I 10.5, II 6.5; III 6
mm; IV 10 mm; width at humeral angles 19; length
of hemelytra 30; length of fore femur 11, fore tibia
9,fore tarsus 5; length of mid femur 13,mid tibia 11,
mid tarsus 5; length of hind femur 16, hind tibia 16,
hind tarsus 6.
Habitus and Coloration: Robust bug. Male dorsally
dark brown, stout; ventrally paler with few scattered
dark brown areas.Antennae overall brown, second
and third segment darker apically, fourth segment
much paler, almost yellow in basal part, slightly
darker beyond middle. Fore and mid legs light
brown, and hind legs darker. Thoracic sterna
laterally with broad ochraceous band. Scutellum
Redescription of two large coreid bugs including Schroederia feana
170
dark brown but its apex ochraceous. Hemelytra
dark brown; membrane with several longitudinal
veins; hind wings long with transparent pale brown
coloration; veins dark brown, raised. Abdominal
tergites distinctly pink red, sterna a mixture of pale
brown and yellow brown (Figs. 10-11). Female
identical in colorationto male but dorsally as well
as ventrally much paler (Figs. 12-13).
Morphology:
Male: Head quadrate, finely setose dorsally; eyes
large, globular;ocelli prominent, pink with black ring
on inner margin, closer to eye than to each other,
preocellar groove deep, prominent. Antenniferous
tubercles prominent, projecting in front of clypeus;
antennae moderately stout, segmentI longest and
thick, II andIII sub-equal, IV longer than second;
III and IV subequal; all segments cylindrical, except
fourth which is slightly flatter; head beneath finely
setose; labium moderately long, stout, reaching
anterior margin ofmidcoxae; bucculae distinct, pale
coloured; clypeus and mandibular plates oblong
oval, sloping, visible clearly in frontal view only.
Thorax: Pronotum appearing almost triangular due
to laterally produced humeral region and very
narrow anterior margin behind head; area in front
of lateral projection strongly sloping,area behind
more or less flat;anterior margin straight behind
head; posterior margin straight over scutellum.
Entire lateral margin of pronotum, upto tip of
extended humeral angle, lined with strong, curved,
black spines; posterior margin behind humeral angle
also spinous, but spines shorter, rest of posterior
margin smooth. Entire dorsal region with fine, pale
brown setae. Callar area distinct, partly smooth
without setae; behind callar area, entire pronotum
rugulose, raised part of rugae shining and without
setae; rugae indistinct on expanded portion of
humerus; punctures very fine, distributed all over
dorsal surface. Scutellum triangular with many
transverse wrinkles and pale brown setae;lateral
margin more or less straight. Prosternum
moderately concave in middle and transversely
depressed all around; lateral margin rugulose,
punctate all over, covered with pale brown setae;
prosternal process produced sharply to meet similar
sharp triangular anterior process of mesosternum;
mesosternum distally pale coloured, median area
moderately sulcate along length, with smooth
shining patch on either side on disc; rest area with
pale brown setae; mesosternum posteriorly
rectangular meeting similar anterior part of
metasternum, borders of both processes raised
above like carina; metasternum darker, finely
granular and densely setose all over; posterior
margin gently concave. Lateral to all thoracic
segments (pleural region) runs a dense band of
mostly white and few pale brown setae,
interspersed with brown smooth spots. Scent
glandlarge, prominent, situated more ventrally, with
rounded disc anteriorly and raised tubercle
posteriorly at lateral border (Figs. 14-15). Scutellum
triangular, as broad as long, with fine wrinkles all
over.
Hemelytra: Clavus and corium dark brown, finely
punctured and covered with patches of pale brown
setae; veins distinctly raised above as ridges, smooth
and shining; outer (anterior) angle very long,
projecting beyond half-length of membrane;
membrane moderately broad, exposing part of
connexivum laterally and extending just to tip of
last tergite.
All legs moderately stout and hind legs very stout.
Fore and mid femora laterally compressed, carinate
dorsally and ventrally, ventral carina terminating as
prominent, long subapical spine;small spine present
in front of this large spine.A few granules also
present on femur, appearing as if forming a line on
inner face; femoral carina also appears finely
denticulate at some places. Fore and mid tibia
strongly compressed with a median carina on inner
face. Tarsus well developed, segment I long and
stout, claws widely separated, black with well-
developed, colorless, pulvillus at base. Entire
surface of fore and mid legs covered with dark
and pale brown setae and shorter adpressed setae.
Hind femur strongly incrassate, almost spindle-
shaped with a series of strong, black, pointed,spiny
tubercles arranged in apparent rows on inner as
well as outer surface (inner row single, outer almost
three rows);in addition, anterior surface with fine
granules all over. As a distinct feature of male, there
Hemant V. Ghate et al.
171
is a strong posteriorly directed spine ventrally
beyond mid length. Hind tibia dilated on both sides,
its inner dilation producing a sharp spine near
middle,entire ventral margin finely denticulate
proximal to this spine and strongly denticulate
beyond spine up to tip; dorsal expansion only setose
without denticulation and gently sinuate. Tarsi and
claws as in fore and mid legs.Entire hind leg also
covered with adpressed pale brown setae,
margined with dark brown erect setae. Ventral
expansion of tibia stronger, partly granular with less
setae than dorsal margin.
Abdomen: Tergites relatively smooth, sternites
covered with dense patches of pale brown setae;
discal region of sternites rugulose, with fine
tubercles and laterallycoarsely punctured. Spiracles
large, spiracular rim raised above, pale coloured;
spiracles situated closer to anterior margin than
lateral margin of segment. Seventh sternite truncate
posteriorly in front of pygophore, its discal area
strongly rugulose with sparse setae, exposed part
of pygophore rounded, pygophore dorsally also
covered by posterior rugulose extension of seventh
tergite; dorsal opening not visible (Fig. 16). Lateral
margin of connexivum finely granulose,
posterolateral angles of segments III-VI produced
into spine of which those on IV and V are very
prominent.
Female: Abdominal sternites paler and abdomen
distinctly broader than male. Hind legs similar, but
femur less incrassate and without long ventral
spines; dorsal surface with less number of
tubercles;tibia similar but ventral margin not
produced into median spine and with margin much
finely denticulate than in male. Scutellum, clavus
and corium distinctly mottled with paler patches.
All antennal segments smaller by 0.5 to 1 mm than
that of male. Seventh sternite in female emarginate
at posterior border; median surface raised as a
triangular projection with its tip above emargination.
Female genital segments setose(Fig. 17).
DISCUSSION
Schroederia feana is a very distinct and the only
species under this genus. It is quite different from
species of the genus Derepteryx White (in which
Distant had originally placed this species), such as
D. grayii White, 1839 and D. hardwickii White,
1839 (now Molipteryx hardwickii); as pointed out
by O’Shea and Schaefer (1980), the shape of the
pronotum is diagnostic. Although, Distant described
S. feana, no illustration was provided; later in Fauna
volume Distant (1902) illustrated D. grayii only. It
is true that the type locality of S. feana is in the
adjacent country and its occurrence in India is not
surprising, however it has never been reported from
India before. Lack of surveys in these parts of
North-East India may be one of the reason. A photo
of syntype of this species has been provided by
Coreoidea Species File Online.
Prionolomia gigasis similar to Prionolomia heros
(Fabricius, 1794), which is also known from Sylhet
in the adjoining region of Assam (presently in
Bangladesh), as per Distant (1902), due to lateral
ochraceous band on thoracic pleura, but the latter
is a smaller species; both, the description and three
figures provided by Distant leave no doubt thatour
species is P. gigas, however type material of both
these species must be compared in future to find
out other differences. Prionolomia heros heros
has also been illustrated on Coreoidea Species File
Online and appears distinct. The other two species
described in Distant (1902) are smaller and lack
thoracic sternal band.Although known from India,
this species has also not been recently recorded in
literature. Since these species are identifiable by
characters and illustrations provided here for the
first time, genitalia characters are not detailed here,
besides these have been given by O’Shea and
Schaefer (1980).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks to Rejoice Gassah, Daniel Hmar and
RuphesSakhrie for their support during field survey.
Authors are grateful to Bill Dolling (UK) for his
continued support and to Prof. Dr. Mallik Malipatil
(Australia) for his timely help. We also thank
Coreoidea Species File Team of Natural History
Museum, UK, for providing much useful links and
photos of types on their website. Thanks also due
to the authorities of the Modern College, Pune, for
facilities and encouragement.
Redescription of two large coreid bugs including Schroederia feana
172
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Hemant V. Ghate et al.
